Cloth material spreader



April 8, 1952 w. E. LA PEDUS 2,592,437

CLOTH MATERIAL SPREADER Filed Dec. 16, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet l April 8,1952 w. E. LA PEDUS CLOTH MATERIAL SPREADER 3 Shee.tsSheet 2 Filed Dec.16, 1948 April 1952 w. E. LA PEDUS CLOTH MATERIAL SPREADER 3Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 16, 1948 Patented Apr. 8, 1952 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE CLOTH MATERIAL SPREADER William E. La Pcdus, Rockford,111. Application December 16, 1948, Serial No. 65,628

1 Claim. 1

This invention concerns an improved machine adapted to receive a bolt ofcloth and to support and guide the cloth as it is unrolled from the boltinto flat sheets of predetermined length for processing.

My invention has great practical use in dressmaking factories,large-scale tailoring establishments, and other manufacturingestablishments in which cloth is fabricated into finished products.

Cloth for use in such manufacturing plants is delivered from the textilemill in large bolts containing a piece of cloth many yards in length.The width of the bolts may vary in particular cases from 36 to 54".Before the cloth can be out according to pattern for the garment orother object to be fabricated, it must be unrolled from the bolt and cutoff at a predetermined length. The proper length will be determined bythe amount of cloth required in the garment to be formed; it may be fromtwo to four yards in typical cases.

One manufacturing step, accordingly, in a clothing factory is theunrolling and cutting of bolt cloth. Long, flat tables are customarilyprovided for this purpose; and workers unroll a bolt of cloth back andforth along the table, unrolling the cloth as the bolt turns and cuttingit off at the proper lengths. Thus a pile of cloth lengths is graduallydeveloped on the table and the bolt of course grows smaller as cloth isremoved from it.

The operation described in the foregoing paragraph is a tedious andtiresome one when it is performed by hand. While the bolt is near itsoriginal size, it is bulky and extremely heavy. Yet, when a suficientamount of cloth for one piece has been unrolled, the workers must eitherphysically carry the bolt back to the starting point or they must turnthe bolt end for end in order to continue the unrolling process. Thistask is slow, tiresome, and is often suflicient to tax the strength of awoman worker. After the cloth has been largely removed from the bolt,the bolt is no longer so heavy, but its very lightness makes itdifficult to unroll, particularly since it must at that stage be rolledback and forth across a table which is already piled with a thick layerof cloth sheets previously removed from the bolt.

My invention provides a machine which permits one worker to unroll thecloth from a full bolt easily, quickly, and efficiently. With myinvention, she need never handle the bolt except when it is first placedon the machine, and she can, without any inconvenience, rapidly turn thebolt end for end after a suitable piece has been cut off, so that eachpass of the machine across the table results in the removal from thebolt of a length of cloth.

An object of my invention is to provide a cloth material spreadingmachine which can support a full bolt of cloth and guide the unrollingof cloth therefrom. Another object of my invention is to provide a clothmaterial spreading machine having an adjustable guide bar which willeffectively guide the cloth as it leaves the bolt to prevent wrinklingor fouling, and which can be adjusted in height so as to distributecloth effectively as the thickness of the pile of cloth sheetsincreases. Still another object of my invention is to provide a clothmaterial spreader in which the bolt and the spreading and guidingapparatus can be swiveled at will from one position to another position180 removed, so as to facilitate the turning of the bolt end to end asthe unrolling proceeds. A further object of my invention is to provide acloth material spreader wherein the width of the operating members canat will be adjusted toaccommodate bolts of cloth ranging between widelimits in width. Other objects and advantages of my invention willbecome apparent as the specification proceeds.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the followingdrawings, of which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine embodyingmy invention, shown with its guide member in advanced position; Fig. 2is a perspective view with the guide member fully retracted; Fig. 3 is a1 perspective view of the machine with the guide advance of the guidemember and of the mechanism which operates to latch the guide member inits retracted position.

Referring now to the drawings, I show, in the embodiment thereinillustrated, a machine having a base portion consisting of frame endplates 20 and 20a, joined by telescoping cross bars I3 and l3a. A swivelmember II is carried by the cross bars I3 and I 3a midway between theend plates 20 and 20a. Cross bar I3a is a simple telescoping structurecomprising a main hollow tube and a telescoping tube cooperatingtherewith at each end. Telescoping tube 41a is rigidly affixed to framemember 20 while telescoping member 41b is rigidly affixed to framemember 20a. Each of these telescoping members is proportioned to fitsnugly within the hollow tube I3a and to telescope therewith.

Cross bar I3 is similar in external appearance to I3a; it comprises ahollow tube and a pair of cooperating telescoping members 48a and 48b,member 48a being rigidly attached to frame member 20 and 481) beingrigidly attached to frame member 20a. This cross bar, rather than beinga simple telescoping structure like bar I3a, contains a screw mechanismby which the width of the frame can be controlled by the operator. Thismechanism will be described in great detail in a later paragraph hereof.

Frame members 20 and 20a are each equipped with a pair of wheels. Thewheels carried by frame member 20 are denoted 2I and those carried byframe 20a are denoted 2 la. For convenience, wheels 2I may be providedas shown with rim flanges to permit their being guided by a 1 trackmember on the bench or table on which the machine is to be operated. Ifpreferred, wheels 2I may be provided with flat rims like wheels 2Ia.

The swivel element II, mounted at the midpoint of the frame structure,contains a swivel plate 8|, mounted on the upper surface of member IIand having a central aperture for receiving a swivel rivet (not shown inthe drawings). As will be seen by reference to Fig. 4 or Fig. 5, swivelmember II cooperates with a corresponding swivel member I2 which iscarried by the rotary member at its midpoint. Swivel member I2 has acooperating swivel plate 82, which is also provided with an aperture atits center to receive the swivel rivet. If preferred, a suitable boltand nut may be employed in lieu of a rivet for holding swivel plates 8|and 82 in proper operating alignment.

To provide a means of securing the swivel fast in its two normaloperating positions, swivel member II is equipped with a pair of studs53, symmetrically located with respect to the axis of rotation andlocated 180 apart. Swivel member II carries a pair of spring-biaseddetents 52 which are adapted to seat in recesses within studs 53 whenthe swivel is in either of two positions, said critical positions being180 apart.

The rotary member of my invention is supported on swivel member I2. Itcomprises a pair of end plates I and Illa respectively, joined by crossbars I 4 and I la. I4 and Ma are rigidly affixed at their centers toswivel plate I2, and end plates I0 and IOa are supported by cross barsI4 and Ma by means of a telescoping crossbar structure, best illustratedin Figs. 2, 4, and 5. Cross bar Ida contains a telescoping element 24ahich is iournalled into end plate Ill and a telescoping element 24bwhich is journalled into end plate I (la. Telescopic member 55a iscarried within cross bar I4 and is rigidly affixed to end plate III;while telescopic element 55b, carried within the opposite end of crossbar I4, is rigidly attached to end plate I 0a. Cross bar I4, with itstelescoping elements 24a and 24b, is similar in structure to the crossbar I 3a which joins the frame members 20 and 20a. Cross bar I I, on theother hand, contains a screw control mechanism similar to that of crossbar I3, which is to be described later herein.

The upper portions of end plates I0 and Na are modified to provide areceptacle for the bolt of cloth to be carried by the machine. Thereceptacle on the respective end plates are denoted I5 and I 5a. As bestshown in Fig. 4, each receptacle comprises a V-shaped notch providedwith a deep slot 9| to accommodate a pair of small rollers 54. Theserollers 54 are journalled into suitable bearings drilled in the walls ofthe support members I5 and I5a respectively, and they provide a securerolling support for the shaft 50a on the bolt of cloth 50, as shown inFig. 4.

A retractable guide member, to guide the cloth from the bolt to itsproper position on the table, is pivoted on the members 24a and 24bwhich telescope into cross bar I la. This guide member comprises a pairof transverse supporting bars 30 and 30a respectively, which are rigidlyaffixed to bars 24 and 24a respectively, extending forwardly thereof. Apair of telescoping cross braces I8 and 25 are provided to connectmembers 30 and 30a and to afford them mechanical rigidity. Member 25,which is carried by bar 30a, telescopes with member 26 which is in turncarried by bar 30. Similarly, supporting member I8, which is carried bybar 30, telescopes with member I9, which is rigidly affixed to bar 30a.The construction just described is best shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

At its forward end the retractable guide member is provided with atelescoping structure which has the function of depositing the cloth onthe material pile smoothly and reasonably taut. This telescopingstructure comprises an element 32, which comprises two hollow paralleltubes connected by a yoke, which i in turn pivoted to the forward end ofbar 30a. Telescoping into the parallel tubes in element 32 are a pair ofparallel tubes 3I, which are likewise joined by a yoke, which is pivotedto the forward end of bar 30. While some freedom of motion in the pivotswhich couple elements 3| and 32 to bars 30 and 30a respectively isdesirable, they should not be overly loose; accordingly, fairly tightfriction pivots are preferable at those points.

At approximately its midpoint, bar 30 carries an upright member 29; asimilar upright 29a is carried by bar 30a near its midpoint. A pair ofcrank members 33 and 33a are pivoted respectively to the upper ends ofuprights 29 and 29a. and a telescoping cross bar connects crank members33 and 33a. This telescoping cross bar consists of an outer tube 21,which is rigidly affixed to crank member 33, and an inner telescopingmember 28 carried by crank member 33a. Pivots having a high coefficientof friction should be used for pivoting crank member 33 to upright 29and crank member 33a to upright 29a.

Telescoping members 24a and 24b repsectively, which are free to rotate,project a short distance through end plates I0 and Illa respectively andare provided at their terminal ends with stop members denotedrespectively 43 and 43a. These stop members are rigidly afiixed to theends of the respective shafts by any suitable means, such as set screws.Each of the stop members has a small finger or projection 93. A bearingplate 42 is bolted to the outer side of end plate [0, and it carries ina threaded aperture a screw member 45 which is equipped at its upper endwith a knob 4| adapted to permit convenient turning.

A similar bearing plate 42a mounted on end plate Illa supports a screwmember 45a and turning knob 41a. The orientation of the screw members 45and 45a is such that when they are advanced a considerable distancetheir lower ends will engage the finger 93 on stop members 43 and 43arespectively, thereby providing a control which can fix the point ofmaximum advance of the retractable guide member affixed to and turningwith bars 24a and 24b. Rigidly affixed to shafts 24a and 24b, on theinner sides of plates I0 and lOa respectively, are a pair of cams l3 and13a respectively. Each of these cams is rigidly aflixed to the shaftcarrying it, and is adapted to turn with the shaft. A latch member H ispivoted to the inner wall of end plate In and is provided with a finger12 adapted to engage the fiat face of cam 13. A corresponding latchmember Ha is carried on the inner wall of end plate [0a, Where it isadapted to engage cam 13a. The flat faces on cam 13 and 13a are orientedwith respect to the retractable guide member so that the cams engage thelatch members when the guide member is fully retractedthat is, in theposition it occupies in Fig. 2. A control lever 14 for releasing latch His pivoted on the side of bar 30, in a position where its rear portion15 will engage and lie under latch H when the guide member is fullyretracted. A similar release lever 14a is carried by bar 30a tocooperate with latch Ha.

Fig. 7 shows a perspective view in great detail of the stop member andlatch structure just described. It will be understood that the structureat the opposite end of the rotary member is symmetrical with that shownin Fig. 7.

Fig. 6 shows in section a view of the telescoping member 13 whichcontrols the adjustment of width of the frame of the machine. As will beseen by reference to Fig. 6, a hollow plug '63, threaded at its outerend, is fitted tightly into the end of telescoping element 48a. Plug 63passes through the wall of frame member 20 and is held in place by nut49. A piston-like member 64 is slidably carried within the interior oftube 48a; at its outer end member 64 contains a recess 65 adapted toreceive the terminal of a wrench, while its inner end is fitted over andsecurely affixed to a screw 66 which extends continuously throughelement 13, the hollow interior of element II, and a considerabledistance into the opposite end of element l3. A sleeve 61 is fittedtightly within the inner end of tube 48a, and it is internally threadedto receive screw 66. Sleeve 61 may, if desired, be made in two pieces,to facilitate its insertion into .tube 48a around screw 61.

A bearing Ila supports screw 61 in the middle portion of swivel elementH; hearing I la is machined to provide a slight clearance for screw 61,to permit it to turn freely therewithin.

A second sleeve 61 is carried within and secured tightly to the innerend of tube 48b. It is also internally threaded, and the screw 61 isthreaded therethrough.

The threading on the portion of screw 61 which lies to the left ofbearing Ila may be given a right-hand thread, While the portion of screw67 which lies to the right of bearing Ha may be 6 given a left-handthread. It will be understood that so long as the directions of thethreads in the two portions of screw 6! are opposite, it is immaterialwhich portion is given a right-hand thread.

The right-hand end of tube 48b, as seen in Fig. 6, carries a plug 480securely affixed therein, and plug 480 is bolted tightly to frame member28a.

The structure of cross bar l4, which connects uprights l0 and Illa. onthe swiveling member, is similar to that of element l3 which has justbeen described and which is illustrated in Fig. 6.

In the operation of my invention, the widths of the frame and the rotarymember are appropriately adjusted by the insertion of a wrench into theaperture in plug 83- and into the corresponding aperture in plug 62. Thewrench is caused to engage the recess provided therefor in thepiston-like member carried within the telescoping cross bar (element 64in the case of cross bar [3) and the wrench is then turned to cause thecross bar to take a length appropriate to the particular bolt of clothto be unrolled. The frame and the rotary member can be independentlyadjusted as to width, provided the guide member is in its retractedposition, since in that position the frame and the rotary member do notinterfere with one another as their widths are altered.

After the widths of the frame and rotary member are set to appropriatevalue, the guide member is shifted to its advanced position by actuatinglevers l4 and 14a, the bolt of cloth is placed on supports I5 and lieand the cloth from the bolt is unrolled and passed over cross bar 33 andbetween the guide bars 3 [-32, as shown in Fig. 4. The end of the boltis then placed in the desired position on the table and the machine isrolled along the table until a piece of the desired length has beendeposited thereon. The piece resting on the table is then cut off fromthe remainder of the bolt by any desired means, and the rotary member isthen swiveled through an arc of so that the bolt of cloth is turned endfor end. In accomplishing this result, the guide member should betemporarily returned to its retracted position. After the swiveling hasbeen completed, the guide member can be again advanced and the machinerolled along a table in the opposite direction to the former movement,the bolt unrolling as the machine moves and depositing another fiatsheet of cloth on the table. This process is repeated until the bolt isexhausted or until the desired number of sheets have been cut from thebolt. As the thickness of the pile of cloth on the table increases, itmay be found desirable to raise slightly the advanced position of theguide member so as to prevent it from rubbing on the cloth alreadydeposited on the table. This may be accomplished by appropriateadjustment of handles 4| and Ma.

While I have-in this specification described in I considerable detailthe preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood thatmany variations in details may be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

In a machine for carrying a bolt of cloth and spreading cloth in fiatsheets therefrom, a frame member, a rotary member swivel-mounted on saidframe comprising end plates and telescoping members joining the same,one of said telescoping members comprising a center portion and a pairof end portions telescoped there-within, a screw member mounted forrotation within said 7 central member and provided with threads of op-REFERENCES CITED posite sense at its respective ends a pair of nuts Thefollowing references are of record in the adapted to cooperaterespectively with one of said file of this patent: threads, each of saidnuts being respectively carried within and rigidly joined to one of saidtele- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS scoping members, and means provided at oneNumber Name Date end of said screw member for manually rotating1,078,302 Moritz Nov. 11, 1913 the same, whereby, on rotation of saidscrew 1,316,692 Cutter Sept. 23, 1919 member, said end telescopingmembers are moved 2,068,806 Lessen J an. 26, 1937 inwardly or outwardlyfrom said central member, 10 2,196,823 Breth Apr. 9, 1940 the positionof said central member being un- ,358,188 Scoles et a1 Sept. 12, 1944aifected by such rotation. 2,442,35 Gilbert June 1, 1948 2,478,840Sayles Aug. 9, 1949 WILLIAM E. LA PEDUS.

